Growing up plump and poor in the 1970s, Massachusetts high school senior Deidre Daly has always been told "thin is in" and she is out. She can't do anything about being poor, but as the Bicentennial year 1976 begins, Deidre vows to take control of her weight. Surely "getting skinny" will land her a date to the prom and she'll finally fit in with the popular crowd whose lives are as perfect and problem-free as hers is a disaster. What follows is a frequently funny, often emotional coming of age journey, as Deidre navigates her messy life at both school and home, and eventually learns to love herself as she is. A book for those who lived through the '70s (and had the Pet Rock to prove it), for readers who dig that far-out era, and for every girl who's been through that struggle to fit in-before discovering life is less about fitting in and more about standing out.
